3. REMOTE FILE INCLUSIONRemote file inclusion is the vulnerability most often found on websites.Remote File Inclusion (RFI) occurs when a remote file, usually a shell (a graphical interface for browsing remote files and running your own code on a server), is included on a website which allows the hacker to execute server side commands as the current logged on user, and have access to files on the server. With this power the hacker can continue on to use localexploits to escalate his privileges and take over the whole system.RFI can lead to the following serious things on website:
This is simply called distributed denial of service attack. A denial-of-service attack (DoS attack) or distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS attack) is an attempt to make a computer resource unavailable to its intended users. Although the means to carry it out, the motives for, and the targets of a DoS attack may vary, it generally consists of the concerted efforts of a person or people to prevent an internet site or service from functioning efficiently or at all, temporarily or indefinitely. In DDOS attacks we consume the bandwidth and resources of any website and make them unavailable to its legitimate users.
How To Deface A Website
This category is not new, it is merely comprised of the five categories above, but I mentioned it separately because there are several exploits which cannot be covered in the aforementioned categories. I will explain them individually with examples. The basic idea behind this is to find the vulnerability in the website and exploit it to get the admin or moderator privileges so that you can manipulate things easily.
Every website administrator has a nightmare they'll tell you about. It's one where they log on to their company website one day and it doesn't look the way it normally does. Instead, there's a message about how this website has been hacked, and there's usually a message indicating who did the hacking. The company has fallen prey to a website defacement attack. If your website administrator hasn't told you about this nightmare yet, they will. Before you have that conversation the hard way, let's talk about what website defacement is and how you can shut it down.
Website defacement is a type of website vandalism. In short, an attacker finds a way to modify the files or contents of your website without your permission. Usually, they'll change the contents of your website to something intended to embarrass you. Sometimes, activists deface websites of companies or organizations with whom they disagree, to raise awareness of what they see as that company's misdeeds.
Website defacement attacks differ from other cybersecurity threats because the attacker rarely stands to gain from the action. Instead of trying to do things like steal user credentials or skim money from unsuspecting users, they're trying to make as much noise as they can. Most malicious users try to hide their activities, but not those who choose defacement as a weapon. They're doing it to show off.
As we mentioned, defacing a website is unlike other forms of computer crime. The goal of the attacker is to make as much noise as they can. Sometimes, they'll do this purely for the "fun" of it or to increase their online credibility. Occasionally, website admins, spurned by companies who haven't paid them, will deface the site they administrate.
If you find yourself waking up to the nightmare of a defaced website one day, what are the realistic consequences for your business? The biggest issue you'll face is a loss of customer trust. Customers trust that you're dedicated and thorough when you do work for them.
They trust that you test your products to ensure they work correctly the first time and that they're safe to use. That's why they trust you with their business. When someone defaces your website, your customers discover that you might not have the thorough commitment to quality they'd first believed in. It doesn't matter whether the vulnerability exploited by these hackers was simple or very complicated. To customers, you dropped the ball, were exposed, and will now pay the price.
The same is true from your perspective. Before hackers deface your website, you likely assume that your current security posture is sufficient. You know it's not perfect, but you feel like it's good enough, and you find out that it's not in the most outrageous way possible. Aside from the work you'll need to do to clean up the vandalism, you also need to ensure this doesn't happen again. That means a thorough audit of your current digital security posture. That's going to take some time, and it's probably going to cost a lot of money.
Sure, it's easy to say that website defacement is the result of an unauthorized person changing something on your website. But how does that happen? What are the mechanisms that they use to make those changes? Unfortunately, that's a broader topic than we have space to cover here, so we'll do so in brief. There are so many different configurations of web server and content management systems that an exhaustive list just isn't possible. But the basic gist is this: your attacker will seek to gain permission to change things on your website, usually by exploiting one or more security vulnerabilities. The most common are vulnerabilities like broken authentication, SQL injection, or misconfigured server security.
Obviously, no one ever wants to fall prey to website defacement. Much like you never want someone to break into your home and you never want someone to steal your credit card, you want to know your website is safe from attackers. But part of securing your website is watching to make sure that none of your security measures failed. While you don't ever want to fall victim to website defacement, detecting defacement right after it happens is critical to minimizing the impact.
Defacement (also website or web defacement) is an attack on a website that alters its visual appearance or informational content. Often, cybercriminals add messages of a social, religious or political nature, or swear words and other text that is unrelated to the subject of the site. Defacement can be described as graffiti in electronic form. People who deface websites are called defacers.
The risk of website compromise, including defacement, can be reduced through standard security measures: regular updates of third-party software used on the site; elimination of vulnerabilities in site components such as scripts and databases; unique, strong passwords for administrator accounts, and so on.
We have identified what website defacement is. We can all agree that it has the potential to have long-lasting effects on your brand image if not prevented. Your website can be left inaccessible, and a security breach can make you lose trust among customers who entrusted you with their data. It can also impact search engine rankings and traffic.
Defacement is a common problem, but few website owners are equipped to deal with it. This age-old adage holds true here: prevention is better than cure. It is in your best interests to be prepared for defacement attacks and data breaches instead of working to fix them. Here are a few tips to enhance security and prevent any such nefarious action toward your webpage:
Hackers use file uploads to access your server. Those files might contain code that will be executed by the server and allow a hacker access to your website and your data. If your website allows file uploads, it isn't that difficult for someone to upload a malicious file and overwrite one of your existing files.
Limit the type of administrative access every user has to keep a check on unauthorized access. Most of our tech staff is remote these days. While that has some advantages, it is hard to check their importance to your website security. Even for your web admins and remote IT support staff, give them access to only the work they need to do. Be careful with third-party contractors, too. Keep an eye on them and revoke their access privileges when they stop working with you.
An SSL certificate is what moves a website from HTTP to HTTPS. It secures the transfer of confidential information between the user and the server. An SSL certificate prevents attackers from creating a fake site version and helps gain user trust.
The traffic is encrypted and secures business communication between the user and your website. So no one can position themself between the user and the application to steal data or deface your website.
You have two contact numbers in a 2 line phone system: the actual number you use for all your communication and vanity numbers that look good and your customers use to contact you. Similarly, you need two emails: The email associated with your website should not be the one listed on it for contact purposes. This needs to be a private email that scammers do not know about to avoid phishing emails.
Your website could be your bread and butter. Whether you build an online store or have a brochure website, the world has become increasingly digital, and having a defaced website could be your worst nightmare.
If you fail to prevent a cyber-attack and end up being a victim of website defacement, having a backup can save the day. Back up on-site and off-site, and do it regularly every day. Multiple times a day, in fact.
Time is of the essence here. You need your website up and running in its original state ASAP. So ensure you keep multiple backups and have software that automatically creates backups in multiple places.
Your website planning and upkeep protocol need to have regular checks for vulnerabilities. You could manually check for every weak area that could be the entry site for potential harm and check for malware, too. You could also use an automatic website scanner or monitoring software to find unpatched vulnerabilities. A regular audit and penetration test can help evaluate your website's security to ensure no one can exploit any weak areas. 2ff7e9595c
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